Rubber gloves and the like



a 2,916,036 Patented Dec. 8,

RUBBER GLOVES AND THE LIKE Sidney David Sutton, Slough, England, assignor to Veedip Ltd., Slough, England, a British company Application December 12, 1956, Serial No. 627,901

Claims priority, application Great Britain August 9, 1956 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-260) The invention relates to gloves and other articles exhibiting a surface layer of rubber-like material which, when the article is used, will be next to the skin. The rubber-like material may be rubber itself, synthetic rubber or an elastomeric material such as polymerised vinylchloride. The, invention is also concerned with such articles in which the rubber-like surface layer carries an adherent layer of flock comprising short thinfibres, of natural material such as cotton or synthetic material such as artificial silk, giving a suede-like finish to the surface. Such articles are commonly used for household, industrial and other purposes. The proximity of the rubber-like surface material to the skin, even when there is an intermediate layer of flock, may be unpleasant to the user and may actually be a source of skin irritation. The object of the present invention is to reduce this disadvantage.

In the improved article according to the invention there 5 is provided in the surface layer a uniform distribution of an unguent material, that is a material which when brought into contact with the skin has a soothing, salving or softening effect thereon. The-unguent material is present and held within the layer in the form of globules and, in use, tends to escape from its free surface to be transferred to the skin of the user. This action takes place when the surface is warmed, as for instance by the warmth of the hand in a glove. Where there is a layer of flock adherent to the unguent-containing layer, which also serves as an adhesive for the flock, the ends of the staples of the flock extend into the adhesive layer and some of them are'in contact with the globules of unguent material. The effectof warmth is to .cause the unguent material to escape down the staples to the skin of the I Unguent materials having'desirable effects on the skin are found amongst vegetable and animal oils, the preferred one being lanolin.

Where the surface layer is applied from an aqueous dispersion, the unguent materialmay be previously incorporatedfin the'dispersion as L an emulsion withgwater and a protective colloid. Where the' surface layer is formed from a liquid dispersion in a plasticiser for the basic rubber-like material of the layer, the unguent material may be incorporated in the liquid as a dispersion in a material which is compatible with the liquid dispersion. If the surface layer is formed from a liquid comprising the basic rubber-like material let down in a solvent, the unguent material will usually be added directly to the same solvent.

Where a layer of flock is to be applied, the material of the surface layer may contain an added adhesive material, but this is not always necessary, particularly when the surface layer is formed from a dispersion in a plasticiser or as a liquid with a solvent base.

The invention will further be described with reference to the use of the preferred unguent material, lanolin, in the inner surface layer of a glove of rubber-like material having an adherent layer of flock on that surface layer,

but it will be apparent that the flock may be omitted without departing from the invention.

The glove is made in known manner by dipping a former into a liquid compound of the rubber-like material, removing it from the liquid and allowing the layer or layers thus formed to set, as for instance by means of a co-agulant or heat-sensitising agent, by gelling or drying, according to the nature of the liquid compound. A film of the lanolin-containing liquid is then applied by a similar dipping process and is converted to a tacky condition. The flock is then applied, by spraying or electrostatic deposition, in suificient quantity to enable the staples to penetrate the film and to come into contact with the lanolin globules contained within it. Surplus flock is then removed by an air blast. The lanolin-containing film is then finally treated to reduce it to a dry condition. The globules of lanolin are not adversely affected by the drying process and do not migrate into the underlying material to which it has been applied. The glove is then removed from the former and reversed so that the flock covered surface is on the inside.

Where the glove is formed from an aqueous dispersion of vulcanised or unvulcanised rubber or synthetic rubber, the lanolin-containing layer is also obtained from a similar dispersion to which the lanolin has been added as an emulsion with water and a protective colloid such as, for instance, casein, glue or albumen. The emulsion also contains a dispersing agent for the lanolin, for instance a polythene oxide condensation product. To ensure eifective adherence of the subsequently applied flock, the final film-forming liquid also contains an appropriate adhesive constituent, for instance a formaldehyde resin. The ad hesive may be omitted where no flock is to be used.

The following is an example of a suitable aqueous dispersion for use in forming on a rubber glove a lanolin containing layer to which an adherent coating of flock is to be applied.

Example 1 Parts by weight Rubber in latex. Lanolin 5 dispersed in water a 5 containing 10% casein and 1% polyethyl- 'ene condensation product. Resorcinol 1. Y Caustic soda 0.25. Formaldehyde l as 40% aqueous solu 7 tion. Potassium hydroxide. 0..12 as 20% aqueous I solution. i 7

wJWhere the glove is madeof a synt hetic'rubber, the same synthetic rubber may be used instead of the rubber in the example.

Where the glove is made from a latex prepared from an elastomer emulsion, for instance of polyvinylchloride, the process may be similar to that described for an aqueous dispersion of rubber or synthetic rubber.

Where the glove is made from rubber or synthetic rubber in a solvent, a lanolin containing layer may be obtained by applying a similar liquid to which the lanolin has been added. No other adhesive is required in this case and the flock is applied in the manner already described.

When the glove is made by dipping a former into a dispersion of polyvinylchloride in a plasticiser, the former is heated so that, after dipping, the polyvinylchloride will gell on the former. The final adhesive layer is made from a similar dispersion of polyvinylchloride in which the lanolin has been incorporated as a dispersion in a suitable plasticiser, for instance castor oil. The

final layer in this case.

' Example 2 I Parts by weight Polyvinylchloride '50 Dibu tyl phthalate 25 Dibutyl adipate l Sin 5 pts by weight Lanolin of 'castor oil.

Where the glove is made from polymeric materials other than polyvinyl chloride, by dipping a former .in

a dispersion of such material in a plasticiser, the process may be similar to thatdescribed in connection with polyvinyl chloride.

:It is preferred to use the lanolin in the anhydrous form, but this is not essential. V

In allcases where a layer of flock is applied, the conditions of the flocking process are governed by the temperature, viscosity and the method of flocking, the object being to produce a flock which will be adherent to the underlying surface and will not be removed in the ordinary use of the article. Theconditionof the underlying layer When the -flock is applied must be such that the ends of the staples will enter it and be retained until the surface of the material is completely dried orotherwise set. The lanolised'layer will usually contain, as its basic constituent, the same material as that of which the article itself is made, but-this is notessential.r The necessary requirement is that the constituents of the article itself and of the lanolised layer shall not be such as to prevent or reduce the close adherence of the lanolised layer or to have any other deleterious effect upon each other. Nor is it essential that the article and the lanolised layer be formed by similar processes. For instance, the article may be made by a moulding operation and the lanolised layer applied by dipping; Nor is it essential that the article be formed entirely of a rubberlike material. For instance, the surface to which the lanolised layer is applied may be that of a rubber-like material on or containing a reinforcing layer of fabric.

A glove embodying the invention is described hereinafter by way of example and'with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a general view of the palm 'of the glove with the cuff turned back to reveal the inner surface;

Figure 2 is a view upon an enlarged scale of a small 7 portion of Figure 1; and 7 .Figure 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view through the wall of the glove.

The glove is made 'of rubber or any other material by dipping aformerin a suitable liquid. The outer surface 1 of the glove is inside when the article on the former, the glove being reversed in the process of stripping, the inner surface of the glove, that is the external surface while the glove is on the former, being covered with a layer of flock 2. The iflock layer 2, as indicated in Figure 2 and diagrammatically in Figure 3, consists of short thin fibres 3the 'ends of which extend into an adhesive layer 4 covering the inner surface of the main wall 5 of the glove. The adhesive layer 4, which may be formed by any of the previously mentioned methods, contains 'g'lobules 6 of lanolin which are held within the layer. The ends of some or all of the fibres 3 are in contact with lanolin globules, as indicated in Figure 3,

so that due to the warmthof the handsome of the lanolin can escape down the fibres to the skin of the user.

What I claim as my invention is:

:1. An article of personal wear comprising a body of unguent-free rubber-like material, a surface layer-of rubber-like material as a covering on said unguent-free rubber-like material and globules of an 'unguent material, distributed within said rubber-like material, a layer of fibres adherent to said surface layer 'and'which, when the article is worn, will be next to the skin of the user, and some at least of said fibres extending into said surface layer and into contact with some at least of theglobules of said unguent material to provide paths 'for the movement of ung'uent material out of said surface layer.

2. article of personal wear as claimed in claim 1,

p in which the unguent material is lanolin.

' 3. A glove having interiorly a surface layer of rubbefi like material with globulesof lanolin distributed within said rubber-like material, said surface layer being a cover log layer on a body of lanolin-free material, a layer of fibresadherent-to the otherwise free surface of said .sur-

face layer, and some at least of said fibres extending into said surface layer and into contact with some at least l of said globules of lanolin.

4. 7 A glove having interiorly a surface layer of rubber, like material, said layer having been. applied from a liquid containing globules of lanolin and said layer .containing lanolin distributed therein, a layer of fibres adherent to said surface layer'and some at least of said fibres extending into contact "with some at least of said globules References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,069,643 Burke Feb. 2, 1937 2,501,565 Halley r i Mar. 21, 1950 72,637,662 7 Russell May 5, 1953 2,653,601 Morrison Sept. 29, v1953 p FOREIGN PATENTS r 488,809 Great Britain ,.'Iu1y .14, .1933

522,683 Great Britain --.-...v-, June 25, 1940 

